Plants

The varied habitat on The Hook supports a wide diversity of plant species, including flowers, grasses, trees and shrubs.

Wildflowers can be found throughout The Hook, in meadows, through the orchard and around the pond and butterfly bank. The wildflowers of The Hook are celebrated in the ‘Wildflower Trail’ held in July each year where over 50 species of flowers and grasses are labelled for visitors to enjoy.

The orchard contains a variety of native fruit trees, including apples, pears, damsons and plums, providing a habitat and food source for a range of wildlife. Shrubs planted on The Hook include several species of wild rose, alder buckthorn, guelder-rose, spindle-berry and cherry plum.

The jubilee woodland can be found in the northwest corner of the reserve, in an area that was once mainly rye grass with little to offer in terms of biodiversity. This new mixed woodland is flourishing and will, in time become dense woodland. There is a real mix of native trees and shrubs: alder, hawthorn, whitebeam, bird cherry, English oak, white willow and guelder-rose. Alongside there are seven larger standard oaks, representing each decade of Queen Elizabeth’s reign.

Along the Riverside Avenue of trees there are 54 native trees: alder, oak, wild cherry, willow, lime, aspen and birch, all chosen for their wildlife value. They will form a green corridor along the River Trent, connecting wild and green spaces along the river.